The Scottish caber of an 85% turnout raises questions on our own local election levels of around 55%.

But what if all the people in West Dorset were actually encouraged to participate more easily in details of local issues?

What if WDDC Executive councillors debated here in public? What if major planning applications on Bridport were held here?

What if Supplementary Questions in WDDC’s Council weren’t banned?

What if questions on WDDC’s offices weren’t disqualified before being put? What if WDDC’s newsletter – ‘Community Link’ – sent to all homes – hadn’t currently been axed? Oh for a breath of the Scottish openness!

Sadly WDDC’s council is effectively operated by one political party on just 45% of all residents’ votes cast, yet they have 67% of the seats.

Their Leader hand selects six colleagues – all from the same party – for their all-powerful one-party Executive. Plans invariably get passed.

Certainly the Executive seemed to agree in 2011 in building new council offices right on top of Dorchester’s central Charles St South car-park, blotting out 226 permanent public car-parking spaces… Not only a costly nightmare for us all, but also against the local will of the 93% majority of those voting in Dorchester’s 2010 town poll.

Now we learn WDDC is looking for some greater coming-together with North Dorset. Did anyone ask us, the residents, if we want this?

Are we sidling into a further perpetuation of a middle tier of local government? Or should we be awaiting news of constitutional changes apparently now planned for England?

One possible outcome could be to put the question to all residents, which could give more integral local government, “Should West Dorset be absorbed into Dorset County Council?”

How can the public express their will, one way or another, on this important structural question?

John Grantham, Burton Bradstock